Shades
by Astro Latte
Summary: These scars are nothing but reminders of the mistakes I've made and the people who've gotten hurt because of me...I'm nothing but trouble.


**Shades  
**

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Trigun

* * *

A new morning meant only one thing to Vash the Stampede: a new way to escape through a two-story window of a cheap hotel room. 

Oh yes, this was just another normal day of his life.

Running away from the two insurance girls who refused to leave him alone, no matter what he said to them.

He even tried to lock them in their room once. However the big-girl managed to shot her Stun-gun through the window and trap him onto the sandy ground below. He still had the bruises to prove it.

The notorious gunman held his breath as he walked slowly against the wall of the hotel's ledge. "Why me?" he moaned as he walked. "Any other guy gets the use the front door but no I have to do the Mission Impossible thing and walk on the ledge outside! Man, this is horrible!"

While making his way across he noticed a small black cat with lime green eyes sitting and staring up at him with a look of pure innocence on its furry face.

The blond man smiled, "Well hello there little guy, I didn't see you there! Hey listen, do you think you could possibly move out of the way so I can get pass? It's really important. Please?"

Vash the Stampede, a.k.a. the Humanoid Typhoon the man who was known for destroying cites and killing countless people…was now pleading with a cat.

This really couldn't get any worse.

The cat's lime green eyes narrowed as it lunged up and attacked the red-suited gunman causing him to fall the hard ground below with a scream.

Scratch that, it just did.

_'I hate cats.'_ The blond man thought as he slowly lifted his head from the ground and noticed that half of the town's people were looking at him as if he were a lunatic. Vash laughed nervously as he quickly got up and headed for the bus station.

* * *

"So far so good." he said to himself as he walked along. He didn't see any crazed insurance girls after him, which was a great sign. "They must still be asleep. Thank goodness I decided to leave early or else they would've found me and followed me for sure!" 

He made his way to the bus station, bought his ticket and sat unperturbed on the bench as he waited.

_'Ah…time for some peace and quiet.'_ he thought. It wasn't that he didn't like the girls; he actually found them to be very nice, friendly, caring and at some times even funny. He even kind of had a thing for the shorter one, not that he would ever admit to it. However, with his manic brother and his crazy henchmen still on the prowl for his life he was worried about them getting hurt…or worse.

Vash sighed sadly. After living over a century as a solo gunman it does get lonesome and having someone to talk to and laugh with is a great feeling that he missed plenty, but you can't be a lone gunman with two insurance girls following you everywhere, now could you?

The morning sun was bright and hurt the golden-blonde's eyes. He reached into one of the many pockets of his red duster in hopes to find his yellow sunglasses.

He didn't.

He checked the rest of the pockets and still the sunglasses were not to be found.

Crap.

The man then rested his head in his hands, remembering that he had left his beloved sunglasses on the counter of his hotel bathroom.

He had plenty of time before the bus came, he could still go back and get them.

Although, he would probably wake up the insurance girls and make this morning's window escape and cat-attack done completely in vain.

But those were really cool sunglasses.

He then stood up; his chest puffed out, and heroically marched back to the hotel. He had a new mission.

To get his sunglasses back and not have the girls know, which would be impossible because nothing in his life could be easy, ever.

* * *

Vash's lean form pressed against the wall next to the door of his room. He quickly scanned the area, not a single soul awake. 

'_Perfect.'_ He thought as he made his way inside the room in silence.

He ran quickly against the wall and across the hall to where the small bathroom was.

_'Here goes nothing!'_ The tall man then opened the bathroom door to be greeted by a surprise.

Meryl's naked back was in clear view to him and when she quickly swung around her breast were also.

He went red.

She went red.

All went silent.

Well, until Meryl screamed, "PERVERT!" and began to throw random objects at the gunman. He quickly backed away and was hit in the eye with what seemed to be an opened tube of toothpaste. While clenching his eye he ran down the hall only to be met with the door that was now opened due to Millie urgently running in to see what all the fuss was about.

He hit the door hard, and as he fell he thought to himself, _'I hate doors.'_

* * *

"Here," Millie offered Vash a cold compress to put on his eye. "It'll help with the swelling." 

"Thanks," he said accepting it and placing it on his right eye. He noticed the tall girl looking at him,

"Big-girl, I wasn't trying anything sneaky. Honest! I just was trying to get my sunglasses."

"In the bathroom?" she questioned.

"I left them there this morning." he answered.

"Why didn't you knock then?"

"I didn't realize she was in there."

"Well didn't you hear the shower running?" Millie pointed out. Vash bit his lip, she got him there.

He was too into his secret-agent-mission-state to notice the water on.

"Why was she in my bathroom anyway?" He frowned, knowing the tall woman wouldn't have an answer to that one, "Don't you girls have your own bathroom in your room?"

"Because you stupid broomhead," Meryl replied as she calmly walked out of the bathroom while drying her hair with a towel, "Millie was using ours and I figured I'd use your bathroom to take a quick shower." She tossed the sunglasses to Vash who caught them with ease and placed them back in his pocket. "I thought you were sleeping, not sneaking around like some deranged pervert."

Millie stood up, claiming she had finishing writing letters to her family and exited the room, leaving Vash and Meryl alone in an awkward silence.

"Do you want me to make you some coffee? I'm guessing you didn't have breakfast while you were sneaking around this morning." Meryl said. The silence was killing her.

"Okay." he answered, the compress still firmly on his eye.

Vash noted that Meryl was only wearing her white skirt and a lose fitting sleeveless shirt, and how the strands of her short hair perfectly framed her pretty face. He couldn't remember if he ever seen her bare arms before, since she was always wearing that cloak or long-sleeved shirt.

He then remembered what he noticed when he first walked in on her.

"Um…can I ask you something?" he asked warily.

"Sure, what is it?" she answered, anger was still evident in her voice for this morning's ordeal.

"How did you get those scars on your shoulder blades?"

Meryl abruptly dropped the coffee cup she was holding.

"Meryl?" Vash asked urgently as he got up to help her, "Are you alright? Did I say something wrong?" He squatted down to help her pick up the broken pieces, but his hands were brushed away.

"Meryl?" he asked again, now looking at the woman who would not make eye contact with him.

"Put the compress back on your eye Vash…it looks swollen." she said as she picked up the remaining pieces and made her way to the trash can to throw them away. She opened the cabinet to get a new cup, ignoring the way the tall man was looking at her.

She noticed there was only one cup left and it was on the tallest self. She cursed her short stature and saw Vash get the cup for her and hand it to her. She quietly took it and filled it with the coffee and gave it back to him as she sat at the small table to drink her own.  
The outlaw took a seat across from her and continued to stare at her, "Come on…you can tell me. You'll feel bet-"

"They're gun shot wounds." she finally answered. Her voice was impassive and monotone, her normally fiery violent eyes were dull as she remembered the terrible memory. "When I was ten…my brother and I were outside my parent's store when a band of thugs came around and tried to rob the place. My brother was about seven years older than me, and stood up to the thugs. He told them to get away from the store before he called the police. Then…" her eyes filled with tears, "Then…they began shooting…and my mother ran out and she…and my brother…were…" she couldn't go on, it hurt too much.

She looked up to see Vash kneeling in front of her, his aqua eyes were magically no longer swollen, but were glazed with unshed tears. He remained silent though, and took her into his arms and held her tight. Her buried her face into his jacket, his scent claming her some. When she had regained some composure, she smiled and whispered "Thank you," to the gunman.

Vash had no idea something that horrible had happened to the tiny insurance girl. She always acted so strong and determined, but no more than five seconds ago she was crying in his arms. It was so surreal and made him more curious about the girl who sat before him.

"Too make a very long story short...I got caught in the cross fire and was shot twice in the back. The doctors thought I was a goner but I pulled though. Soon afterward I learned how to fire a gun and later became," she smiled at this point, "Derringer Meryl."

Vash laughed nervously, he didn't know what else to do.

"You know, my father used call them Angel Scars." Meryl said while looking into her coffee mug which was still half-full. "He said that an angel had come down from heaven and helped me pull through. He said it had given me its wings; however angel wings were too beautiful for mortal eyes so the only thing left were these scars."

Vash couldn't help but look down at his right hand, _'Angels, huh?'_

He remembered Rem calling him and Knives angels once. Only now the only thing angelic about him was the fact that he could destroy cities unknowingly, and that was more demonic to him than anything.

He was brought back when he heard Meryl's voice again, "That's why I understand how you feel about those scars of yours, but I think they're Angel Scars too." She smiled at him, "Because no one can be as great of a person as you are without being an angel."

"I'm no angel." Vash spat, "If anything I'm a demon only born to raise chaos and destruction. These scars are nothing but reminders of the mistakes I've made and the people who've gotten hurt because of me...I'm nothing but trouble." He then felt Meryl take his hand in hers and squeeze it tight, causing him face her.

"Don't say that! Don't ever say that!" she demanded, "That's just not true, Vash! Think of all the people you've saved in your life and the difference you've made for the better. Those scars are reminders of what you've done for people, not what you've done against them. You're this planet's guardian Angel!"

The blonde man looked away, blushing slightly, "I may not agree with you...but I do know one thing..." His eyes locked with hers once again, "You are my guardian Angel, Meryl."

The tiny woman blushed deeply. She was about to ask him what he meant when her partner rushed into the room urgently telling them that the last bus out of town was going to leave soon and if they didn't hurry they were going to miss it.

Her question was then forgotten.

* * *

While looking for a seat, Vash glanced over his shoulder to see the two insurance girls still behind him. He sighed, there was just no use was there? No matter what they would follow him. 

He found a seat near the window and sat down.

Meryl sat next to him.

Millie sat behind them.

He rested his chin in his hand and eavesdropped on the girl's conversation. Millie was scolding Meryl for staying up all night writing reports. The short girl retorted, claiming if a certain "needle-noggin'" were to behave and not blow up everything, then she wouldn't have had so much work to do.

Vash turned to face her quickly, being sure to plaster a blank look on his face, "Are you talking about me?"

"No, just the other broom-headed idiot we follow around everywhere."

"Oh, okay."

The bus' engine roared to life and made its departure.

The blonde man continued to look out the window. Sooner or later he'd have to really give these girls the slip, or else they **will** get hurt. He would never be able to live with himself if it came to that.

Especially if Meryl were to be hurt.

He mentally slapped himself remembering what he had said earlier. Why the hell did he say that to her, anyway? He really didn't mean to, but being with her changed something within him. She made him feel safe, as weird as it may sound, she made him feel **loved**. Something he hadn't felt in a very, very long time.

He suddenly felt someone lean against him and notice that a certain petite insurance girl had fallen asleep on him. Not wanting to wake her, he switched his position so that he leaned against the window and she rested on his chest.

Maybe one day he'd be able to stay with her forever. He'd be able to give her the love and attention she deserved.

Perhaps one day...but not now.

Now it was impossible.

Now it was dangerous.

Nevertheless, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to enjoy this one moment of peace with her.

His angel.

For he knew he'd probably never have a moment like it again.

**The End**

* * *

**(AN: There you go sweeties! More mindless fluff and drabble written by yours truly. I'm such a mushy fluff lover it's getting ghastly. Anyway, please review! I love hearing from you all! I'll even reply to show you my gratitude!)**


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